Oil-cup



E. J. BLOOM.

OIL CUP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27. I9I9.

1,33 1,894. vPatented Feb. 24, 1920.

XQW 5:442 W EDGAR 3.1310011, or TIFFIN, 01110.

\ OIL-CUP.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented F b 24, 1920.

Application filed March 27, 1919. Serial No. 285.592.

' e To all whom it may Camera:

Be it known that -I, EDGAR J. BLOOM, a citizen oflthe United States, residing at Tifiin, county of Seneca, State of-Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oil-Cups, of which the following is. a

specification.

This invention relates to 011 cups and has for its object an oil cup of such simple construction that it may easily compete with the simplest forms of grease cups even when used in large quantities. The cup only feeds the oil when the part to which it'is attached is vibrated andrthen only in very minute quantities.

The oil cup operates upon the principle of air-sealing the reservoir and utilizing capillary action to avoid the feeding of the oil except where the same is shaken through the orifice or drawn through by the capillary attraction of the'oil previously fed through the orifice. The cup is so designed that it is extremely reliable in .its feed notwithstanding the great restriction of the flow.

Provision is made for the continued presence of the small amount of. oil in the capillary orifice to secure reliability of feed. These features of operationcan be better explained and amplified when the exact structure is understood.

In the drawings,--' a Figure 1 is a side elevation of the cup.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the Fig. 3 is a plan view of the barrel of the cup.

Fig. cap. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a modifiedform for use on horizontal bearings.

The cup comprises simply a barrel a very similar. to any grease cup having an exteret is an inverted plan View of the 'nally screw-threaded nipple b, the Wrench hold 0 and the screw cap. However, as an integral part of the barrel, there is an inward extension of the nipple b to form a stand pipe 0: whose u er end is closed but for a capillary orifice f drilled through the end. A basin 9 is turned in the end of the pipe and at its bottom is the orifice f.

The cap is internally screw-threaded like any ordinary grease cup cap but the center of thecap has a relatively thick portion which is turned into a shallow cone 2', whose surface substantially parallels the surface of the basin turned into the. end of the stand pipe. .;Between the base of the cone and the threads is a flat annulus h that-acts as a seat for the leather washer j. When the cap is turned down upon the end of the barrel, the end of the barrel embeds itself in the washer and makes an absolutely airtight fit. The stand pipe 0 being an integral part of the barrelabsolutely excludes air except as it may find its way through the capillary opening 7. I

- When the oil cups on an automobile are to be filled, the caps are taken off, the oil poured into the barrel up to the brim of the barrel, and it is then allowed to run down through the capillary orifice f and into the bearing, where it establishes an initial film. With the air pressure behind the oil, the'oil will run quite freely through the capillary orifice drop by drop, and the caps canthen be screwed down tightly and the feeding of the oil absolutely stopped for two reasons: Ordinardily the level will have fallen below the top of the stand pipe and motion isrequired to supply new oil to the top of the stand pipe; and secondly for the reason that capillary action is such that even ifthe oil is up above the stand pipe top, it will not feed unless the cup is in motion. The reason for that is that an absolutely air-tight cup is provided except for the capillary opening. In order fora fluid, with a moderate hydrostatic pressure, to flow through a receptacle with a restricted opening but otherwise air-tight, it is well known that an equal amount of air must be forced up through the liquid by. atmospheric pressure to replace the liquid going through the restricted opening. This is the well known action of'a bottle. However, if the opening in such a receptacle is very small the adhesion of the fluid to the walls of the orifice (capillary action) is so great that thecapillary opening such as I use will suspend a relativelv heavy use, having an air-tight relation with the barrel, and the capillarv opening (preferably only about 1/70th of an inch) will support a column of water several times the height of the cup and several times the cross section of the cup if the receptacle is otherwise sealed so air cannot enter.

This principle is utilized in holding up the feed through the capillary opening. Absolutely no joints are provided between thestand pipee and the barrel and the joint between the cap and the barrel is packed while the capillary opening is oil-sealedby the constant presence of what might be figuratively called a'pillar of oil. This pillar of oil results from the peculiar arrangement-between the top of the stand pipe and the cone. The cone acts as a collector of a film of'oilwhich is dashed up against the cap. This is shown in Fig. 2. This film runs down the cone and into the basin 9 but it does not drop off from the cone. The proximity of the basin 9 to the'head of the cone is such that the oil always adheres to both the head of the cone and to the basin, keeping a substantially ever-present pillar of oil. Thispillar of oil performs at least two very-useful functions-it keeps the oil from shaking off the end of'the stand pipe so as to assure regularity of feed, and it also helps to air-seal the capillary orifice, for obviously the pillar of oil presents a greater resistance to air bubbles passing through than would be the case with a mere film of oil. Perhaps not so much the weight of the column as the strong cohesion of the oil particles'to each other and the strong-adhesion to the relatively great area of metal surface provided at this point, achieves this. This condition is brought about due to the fact that the edge of the cone is only slightly spaced from the surface of the basin and the two surfaces are in substantially parallel position. The spacing in an ordinary cup of approximately 4/5ths of an inch indiameter is only'approximately 8/l00ths-of an inch.

The depression of the basin 9 and the point of the cone dipping down into the pillar of oil tend to securely anchor the oil pillar to the top of the stand pipe. Obviously with merely a basin in which the oil freely rests, there isconsiderable more tendency for the oil toslop over and out of the basin, breaking the air-seal and withdrawing the oil so as tomake rather uncertain a reliable feed.

This 'anchorage is such that the arring 1110-.

ofthe vibration of thecar. This results in very minute feeding of the oil, which is all that is required to properly lubricate the hearing. I have found that an oil cup of this character of ordinary size will not need replenishing for an average of 1500 miles. This results in a system of lubrication that requires verylittle attention by the operator of the car.

The success of an oil or grease. cup inlarge production to-day. (iepe'nds in a large 7 measure upon theway it 'canbe manufac tured. If it involves complicatedori'expensive operations, itis almost sure to be'condemned for large production. I believe it will be evident that the oil cupah'ere shown has aiminimum-of simplicity for anything that ofi'ers'an automatic feed. The cup. and v the cap are preferably castings with theznip-' ple and the stand pipe cast solid. The ni-p ple andthe' stand pipemay then be drilled for the imain bore and the end of rthe stand pipe. turned to" providethe basin. and: the.

capillary opening drilled. The cone :may be turned to make a smoothand regularsurface whilethe various parts ofthe outside may be turned and the wrench hold finished and barrel acting as a reservoirfor oil which 1 1s restralned from feedingtby'the inability of the air to get'into-the reservoir on account of the capillary opening andtheairsealed relation ofthe otherpartsofthe cup.

2. An oil cup, having in combination, a barrel provided with a'st an'drpipe in airtight relation therewith except for a capillary' opening inthetop, a, cap having' an air-sealed relation with the barrel, and a collector suspended above. the standpipe and barrel for guiding thepoil down-.iupon thestand-pipe and in such iproximity'with the stand pipe as to maintaina pillar of oil thereupon, the: said? 'airrtight' condition of the "reservoir formed by the barrel and cap and the: capillary nature 'ofthe opening in.

the' top of the stand-pipetserving-to exclude air and restrict the flow of the oil.

3. An'oil cup, having 'incombinatioma barrelprovi'ded with a stand-fpipe in airtight relation therewith except for a capillar orifice-in itstop, a'cap in air sealed relation with the barrel and provided with-a cone on its under side :having its headiicoming'inrsuch proximity withthe top ofthe stand-pipeas 'to' maintain} a' pillar ofiioil v thereupon toact as an" air-seal, iSaZld "airsealed condition of the reservoir formed by r the cap and barrel and the capillary nature of the orifice through the top of the standpipe and the air-sealing pillar of oil maintained by the cone serving to exclude air from the cup to restrain the feed through the capillary orifice.

4. An oil cup, comprising a barrel provided with a stand-pipe therein having a barrel provided with a stand capillary orifice in its top and a cap maintained in air-sealed relation with the barrel by beingprovided with a Washer inter posed between the barrel and the cap whereby air is excluded from the reservoir formed by the cap and the barrel to restrict the flow.

through the capillary orifice.

5. An oil cup,

barrel provided with a stand-pipe in airtight relation with the barrel except for a capillary orifice in the top, a cap in airsealed relation with respect to the barrel, and a cone suspended by the cap and having its apex directly above the stand-pipe to maintain a pillar of oil as an air-seal over the stand-pipe and to anchor such pillar of oil thereto,-the said'airsealed relation of the barrel and cap, the capillary opening and the air-sealing pillar of oil maintained upon the top of the standpipe serving to exclude air to restrict the feed through the capillary opening.

6. An oil cup, comprising a vided withv an integral nipple and an inward continuation of the nipple in the form of an integral stand-pipe having at its top a capillary opening, and a cap maintained in airsealed relation with the barrel and having its center of increased thickness and formed into a cone adaptedto have its apex seat directly above the orifice in the top of the stand-pipe, the reservoir formed by the said barrel and cap air-sealed relation to exclude air and restrict the feed through the capillary opening.

7 An oil cup, having in combination, a pipe therein having an air-tight relationwith the barrel except for .a capillary opening in the top of opening having in combination, a p

the opening through barrel probeing thereby maintained in a basin being. provided in the top of the stand-pipe,

the end of the barrel in air-sealed relation and a collecting cone with respect thereto, suspended over the top of the stand-pipe and having its apex in close proximity with respect to the basin surface to maintain a pillar of oil and ,anchorit thereto to form an air-seal for the capillar opening, the said air-sealed condition of t 1e oil reservoir formed by the cap and barrel, the capillary and the air-seal maintained by the cone and basin serving to exclude air and to restrict the flow through the capillary opening.

8. An oil cup, having in combination, a barrel,a cap therefor provided on its inside with a pointed cone anda stand pipe rising from the outlet hole in the barrel and pro- I vided with a capillary opening drilled therein at the top cone, said stand-pipe having also turned therein a basin leading to said capillary 9. An oil cup, having in combination, a

.barrel provided with an integralnipple and an integral extension of the nipple forming a standing COIldUllLPI'OVlClBd with a basin turned in the top of the conduit,

opening drilled into the interior of the conduit through the bottom of the basin, a cap having an annular flange internally screwthreaded and adjacent the threads a washer a capillary below the point of the seat, the central portion of the cap being thickened and turned into the form of a cone, washer seat ofv the cap and abut the top of the barrel when the ca is screwed onto the external threads of t e open end of the barrel.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand on the 8th day of March, 1919.

EDGAR J. BLOOM.

and a washer adapted to seat in the- 

